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Updated: May 30, 2026

A Facile and Efficient Approach for the Production of Reversible Disulfide Cross-linked Micelles
Published on: December 23, 2016
New thiol-responsive mono-cleavable block copolymer micelles labeled with single disulfides
Behnoush Khorsand Sourkohi1, Rolf Schmidt, Jung Kwon Oh
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4B 1R6.
New thiol-responsive block copolymers self-assemble into micelles that break apart in response to reductive reactions. These biocompatible micelles show potential for biomedical applications due to their non-cytotoxic nature.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Development of advanced polymers with controlled responsiveness is crucial for drug delivery and nanotechnology.
- Thiol-responsive materials offer unique cleavage mechanisms triggered by biological or chemical reduction.
- Amphiphilic block copolymers are widely used for self-assembly into nanostructures like micelles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel thiol-responsive symmetric triblock copolymers with single disulfide linkages.
- To investigate the self-assembly behavior and micelle formation of these copolymers.
- To evaluate the cleavage response of the disulfide bonds and the subsequent disassembly of micelles.
Main Methods:
- Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using a disulfide-labeled difunctional initiator.
- Characterization using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
- Micelle formation and characterization via critical micellar concentration (CMC) determination, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS).
Main Results:
- Well-defined thiol-responsive symmetric triblock copolymers (ss-ABP(2)) were successfully synthesized with controlled polymerization.
- The copolymers exhibited amphiphilic properties, self-assembling into stable micelles with a CMC of 0.032 mg/mL.
- Cleavage of disulfide linkages under reductive conditions led to micelle dissociation into smaller structures, confirmed by AFM and DLS.
- The synthesized block copolymer micelles demonstrated no cytotoxicity, indicating good biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- Novel thiol-responsive triblock copolymers with disulfide linkages were synthesized and characterized.
- These copolymers effectively form stable micelles that can be controllably disassembled via reduction-triggered disulfide bond cleavage.
- The biocompatibility and responsive disassembly suggest potential applications in drug delivery and other biomedical fields.
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Preparation and Reactions of Sulfides
Micelles
Preparation and Reactions of Thiols
Structure and Nomenclature of Thiols and Sulfides